Topline
A majority of Americans are against the surprise demolition of the White House’s East Wing that started last week to make room for a new ballroom commissioned by President Donald Trump, a new poll shows Thursday, with almost all Democrats and some Republicans expressing their displeasure with the construction.
An excavator sits on the rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 28, 2025.
Getty Images
Key Facts
Some 56% percent of the more than 2,700 adults surveyed said they oppose Trump’s ballroom project, with only 28% expressing support and the remaining 16% of respondents saying they’re not sure whether they oppose or support it, the Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll shows.
Almost all Democrats surveyed—88%—said they’re against the proposal, compared with 61% of Independents and 22% of Republicans who are against it.
Sixty two percent of Republicans support the project, as do 17% of Independents and 4% of Democrats.
The poll showing disapproval from a majority of Americans is contrary to what Trump has claimed: “People are loving it,” he said in Tokyo on Tuesday.
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Key Background
Trump months ago revealed plans to build a gilded ballroom on White House grounds with money from private donors. He said the construction wouldn’t interfere with the East Wing, which was added onto the White House in 1942, saying the new project “pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.” But last week nearly all of the East Wing was razed over a four-day period after the administration said it determined demolition of the wing was “cheaper and more structurally sound” than keeping it in place. The East Wing held the first lady’s office, the president’s theater, the visitor’s entrance and the East Colonnade. Called the White House State Ballroom, the addition will be approximately 90,000 total square feet, which is significantly larger than the 55,000-square-foot White House as it stands now. The White House called the ballroom a “much-needed and exquisite addition,” and renderings show a massive gilded space with coffered ceilings, chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling arched windows. The ballroom will be used to host large parties and state visits, with a seated capacity of 650 people. On Tuesday, the White House fired all members of the Commission of Fine Arts ahead of the commission’s review of construction plans for the ballroom.
Big Number
$300 million. That’s how much Trump told reporters last week the ballroom will cost, a significant jump from the initial $200 million estimated by the White House in July. Donors for the project who attended a dinner hosted by Trump two weeks ago included billionaires like Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, oil executive Harold G. Hamm and companies like Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Comcast, Google, HP, Meta, Microsoft, Palantir and T-Mobile.
What To Watch For
The new “South Park” episode. The series, which has taken increasing aim at Trump in its current season, will debut an episode Friday focused on his demolition of the White House. The logline for the Comedy Central series episode, called “The Woman In The Hat”, reads: “The White House deals with a disruptive spirit from the East Wing. While Stan worries that South Park has become too political.”